Himalayan Salt Guide

Is your Himalayan Salt; Rock or Crystal?

One question is repeatedly asked in so many different ways, what is the
difference between bath salt and coarse salt for cooking? Could bath
salt be used for cooking? How does one select Himalayan Crystal Salt for
consumption?

We understand the frustration of the consumers, because companies who
sell Himalayan Salt are sending mixed messages, some companies are
advertising that their bath salt can be used as consumption salt (at
very cheap prices), some companies are advocating that they have
exclusive rights to the mines and yet some others are claiming that they
have a Himalayan "seal" therefore their salt is the only original
Himalayan salt (so they can sell it very expensive). Recently we came
across a very reputable company's website who claims that their salt
comes from Nepal and it has to pass thru many different countries to get
here. We will try to make everything Crystal Clear!

Mines at the foothills of the Himalayas (Pakistan) are so vast; many
different types of salts are extracted for different uses. For the
purpose of this discussion; we will focus on the Crystal Salt and Rock
Salt

Crystal Salt: It's very simple; If a chunk of Crystal
Salt is transparent when looking into the light, it is Crystal Salt.
Only 17-20% of the shipments of salt that we receive passes the test and
is selected for Consumption. For those who like to know a little more
about the

Crystal

Salt

difference
between crystal salt and rock salt, yet in plain English, think of Coal
and Diamonds, both start as carbon, however under tremendous pressure
and heat, a chunk of coal becomes diamond which is crystallized and
transparent. Furthermore crystal salt has a superior structure which
makes crystal salt pass thru our cell walls. This is important because
our cells can only absorb what is available ional or organically, what
does not get in to our cells can not be metabolized.

Rock Salt: There is very little difference in colors,
however what makes a difference is that: rock salt is opaque, light does
not pass thru; therefore it is not crystal salt, it is a cheaper
alternative to table salt, but still wholesome and natural. It does
however have

Rock

Salt

some
soil or dust in it, which is hard to detect when it is already
grounded. Rock salt is most commonly used for lamps or candleholders;
the rock salt will glow beautifully and do the job.

However for consumption; only crystal salt should be used. Please be
careful of the copycats who are selling rock salt as Crystal Salt at
very low prices. It's easy to differentiate when salt is in bigger
chunks; but once they have been ground, it is very difficult to tell the
difference.

Our Procedure

GAMMA Salt Crystals [family owned] is the only company in North America
who guarantees that all consumption salt is Crystal quality and
absolutely the best. Here is how: When a shipment of salt arrives at our
factory in Pakistan, each piece is looked upon in the light to
determine if it's Rock or Crystal? It is a simple and effective
procedure and has been used by natives for centuries.

Now Crystal Salt is hand crushed in to smaller pieces, washed with water
and gently crushed into smaller sizes to be stone ground. It is
important that the salt is ground slowly, grinding at high speed creates
heat and possible loss of primal crystal structure. After the salt is
ground it is packed into 50 pound sacks and shipped to Toronto, Canada
at our packing facility. All our packaging for North America is done in
Canada and inspected for Kosher Certification. GAMMA Salt Crystals is
the only company in North America to be certified as Kosher.

Rock salt and partly crystal salt chunks are used to make lamps, and all
non-consumption products including bath salt, sauna, salt for steam
rooms, etc.etc.

Misleading Statements

One important detail to be noted is that some companies are claiming to
practice the hand crush method for fine and course ground salt to
justify very high prices. Also, another misleading claim is about salt
mine ownership & location; Salt mines at the foothills of the
Himalayas are located in Pakistan & owned by PMDC - Pakistan Mineral
Development Corporation. Any company can purchase salt without
restrictions. Some companies will make you believe that their salt comes
from "hidden chambers" of the mines and they are the only ones who
supply that salt, claiming exclusive rights to Himalayan Crystal Salt,
is simply not true. In reality, No one has exclusive rights.
For most companies in the western world Himalayan Salt is very new, some
even claim that they just discovered it, so they call it original.
GAMMA salt crystals is owned by locals who have known of crystal salt
since Alexander the Great who actually discovered it. It is true that
recently Himalayan salt has been tested by modern science to prove what
locals have known for centuries.

The only fact that matters is, the process of selecting and the way the
salt is ground, which makes all the difference. It's obvious that our
procedures are painstakingly slow and expensive; we do not compromise
the quality, which our customers demand. Being a Direct Manufacturer;
we offer our customers premium products at very competitive prices. As
the saying goes [if it's too good to be true, it probably is]. Now you
know! If someone tries to offer you bath salt and say it's OK to cook
with it, hum! There is something wrong; some companies have no idea what
they are selling, for them it's just another profitable product.

Trust GAMMA Himalayan Products, even though we do not own any mine nor
do we claim any exclusive rights; but we are from that land and have
known Crystal Salt since Alexander the Great: no one knows Himalayan
Salt better than GAMMA Salt.